The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-07-23
MONEY IN MUTTON.
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dulgGd in, as to the best way to 20 to work to raise different things, and diff ferent farmers had talked about whether there was more money ill raising butter and cheese than wheat and corn, the affair adjourned, and the farmers scattered around the little l town where the institute" was held to talk it over. Two farmers went in a grocery and bought pound of crackers and some dried herring, and went and sat on the platform of the town pump, to eat the lunch and have talk. One of them said he had been much entertained by that butter sharp, who talked so learnedly about cows, and grazing, and making gilt edged butter that sells for forty or fifty cents pound, and he had mind to trade for COW, and start a dairy. The other one skinned herring, split it and ripped the bone out, and began eating it, and said:
 "Jim, there's more money ill sheep than in cows, sure's you're born."
 70, dunno" said Jim. I have noticed that you make money on sheep, and you have the poorest sheep l ever see, too, but never heard of anybody else making anything on sheep. How do you arrange it?"
 "Jim, when strike man I think can depend on," said the first farmer, as he drank dipper of water from the well, to raft down the dry crack CTS and herring, q am willing to give him any information have. If had been called upon at the Farmers h. stitute, to tell what know of keeping sheep, could have given them intor- nation that would have surprised them. You know 1 have farm ten miles from quite large town. Dur ing the fall there is good chicken and snipe shooting near me. We'll, I keep about forty to fifty sheep, the most of them the poorest kind, but half doz- en fine wool. The railroad runs through my place. Between the rail- roads and the dudes who go shooting, can make more on that flock of sheep than any farmer can make, raising wheat or cattle, or anything, and do not have to work all the time. If busi- ness gets a little dull turn the sheep into the road, and put handful of salt on the track, and they huddle on to the railroad about time for the way freight, and the train comes around the bend, and can't stop, and two or three, or may be dozen are killed. The train can't stop long enough for the conductor to take an account of stock, because he has got to run to the next station and sidetrack for the express train, and so we go to work and bury the carcasses, and when the claim agent comes along, in three or four days, show him where the sheep are buried, but he don't want to open the grave, so we com promise on say fifteen to thirty pure blood southdowns, at round price. Sometimes I don't wonder that the railroads have to water their stock, and let dividends pass, when I think of the prices they have to pay for stock that is killed. When the claim agent comes he finds my wife crying, and look as though had lost every friend on earth, and he settles too quick. My wife has practiced till she can cry at the drop of a hat. But 1 work these dude hunters the best. 1 have my sheep trained so they will start off on run as soon as they see a dog, the dog chases the sheep at a good run, and if they don't kill sheep, the dude is scared out of his boots, and will put up money rather than have a fuss. charge them for worrying the sheep, because claim that sheep that are worried are liable to die of heart disease. If think best I go out with gun, and threaten to kill the dog, and point the gun at the dude, and he had rather give fifty dollars than to have the dog killed, because usual ly it is borrowed dog. Anyway, if look mad enough when dog has chased my sheep, the hunter will set tie readily, and if there is any trouble propose to send for constable and have the fellow arrested, and most people would rather pay than have to go into court. l made over four hun dred dollars last year on forty sheep, and have got tifty-one sheep left. How is that for profit?"
 "That seems to be pretty good av- erage," said Jim, But don't you have any of tho hunters kick, and refuse to pay. Don't they get onto the scheme?"
 "Well there was one fellow who sort of tumbled to the racket, as they say. l had to get out the gun on him. His dog chased the sheep but didn't hurt any of them, and he wouldn't give me twenty-five dollars to settle, so was going to kill his dog. What do you think he did? He cooked both barrels of his gun and pointed at my chest, and told me to drop my gun, and I dropped it, and he laid his gun down and then he knocked me down as fast as could rrof f1v. kHu